Wednesday, June 26, 2013

A Collection of Stances

Every problem needs a stance (or a attitude that a person, group or culture takestowards that problem). I have listed some common stances below. Some are more embedded in the events they describe, while others are
more reflective of them. I would guess that in human culture we are broadly moving away from
reflective stances towards more interconnected ones.

Theeveryday stance – 'What problem?'

Thereflectivestance (Cartesianism) – ‘Let’s step back from the problem and be
objective about it in terms of what we know.' (Both idealism and empiricism are
contained within this stance).

Thereflexive(postmodern) stance– Include yourself and your ‘stepping back’ in
your consideration of the ‘problem.’

Theemotional/impulsivestance – ‘Let’s get upset about the problem!’
Emphasises its affective dimensions and the victims whilst demonises its perpetrators
(rhetoric).

Theactive/impulsive stance – ‘Let’s just do something!’

Thehedonisticstance – ‘Fuck the problem; let’s partaaay!’

Thecynicalstance – ‘Were fucked, the universe is fucked: don’t get worked up
trying to solve it!’

Thestoicstance
– Don’t get upset about the problem. (‘It’s not really a problem; it’s an
opportunity for growth, etc.’)

The pragmatic
stance – ‘What can we do to salvage something from this mess!’

Theinterconnectedstance (Heideggerian /ecological /networked-self)– there is no
immediate problem, it is symptomatic of a wider and more deep seated malaise.
This stance emphasises the universal interconnectedness of all things and the unforeseen consequences of actions—‘a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil….etc’